Infant bathing support



De- 29; 1964 A. J. oUELLE'rTE 3,162,864

INFANT BATHING SUPPORT Filed Jan. 8. 1962 BY MBA@ United States Patent O3,162,864 INFANT BATHNG SUPPRT Alfred 3. Guellette, 680 Montcalm Place,St. Paul, Minn. Filed Jan. 8, 1962, Ser. No. 164,737 8 Claims. (Cl.@-183 This invention relates to an improvement in an infant bathingsupport and is particularly concerned with a device in which -an infantmay be placed and strapped providing positive support and control whilemanipulating the infant during bathing, the device being particularlyadapted to be used while attached to the forearm of the attendant.

Infant bathing supports of many different kinds have been made toprovide support for the infant while in a tube. Generally in using suchdevices the mother or attendant is required to hold the support with onehand while struggling to bathe the infant with the other.

Since an infant is unable to control the movement of Vhis body to anylarge degree, and because infants have relatively weak neck structure,positive support is required to prevent undesired body movement and tokeep the head and neck from being allowed to fall from side to sidewhich could cause injury to the infant.

In the usual method of bathing a baby without a support the infant issupported by the mothers arm while being bathed in a sink or tub.Because of the usual oily condition of the skin of the infant plus theuse of soap and water, the infant is difficult to hold with one handwhile bathing with the other hand. In addition, in the case of veryyoung infants, the head and neck tend to wobble from side to side whichmakes bathing the infant even more difficult particularly for the newmother or unskilled attendant. Since the baby after being bathed stillis relatively slippery due to the presence of body oils and Water on theskin, eXtreme care must be used in removing the infant from the tub orsink in order to avoid dropping the infant.

For the mother to satisfactorily bathe the infant using some form ofsupport, the support should generally adapt to the body width and lengthof the infant, provide support for the body, head, and neck, have meanspreventing the infant from slipping along the device while raising andlowering the infant from the tub and keeping the infant from rollingfrom side to side while permitting the mother to turn the infant on thesupport as needed to complete the bathing and drying operations, havemeans whereby the infant may be readily fastened in the support and thesupportattached to the forearm of the mother, be adaptable for use withinfants of different ages and sizes, be easy to clean, and usable insuch manner so as to enable the mother to perform the bathing operationreadily and safely and without unnecessary preparations, fuss and mess.It is an object of the present invention to provide the featuresmentioned as necessary for the satisfactory bathing of an infant using abathing support.

A further object of the present device lies in an infant bathing supportproviding a generally concave surface to which the body of an infantwill adjust and in which the infant is strapped providing support andcontrol of the infants body together with a deeper concave depressionadjacent one end in which the head and neck reside to provide supportand control for the head and neck.

A further object of the present invention lies in a member providing anabutment at one end of the generally concave surface against which thebuttocks of the inl ice forearm of an attendant when the forearm islowered. It is an object of the present invention to provide an infantbathing support having a buttocks support and suitable adjustable strapsto hold the baby in the desired position while lowering and raising theinfant from the bath tub or sink and while performing the bathingoperation.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a bathingsupport for infants of waterproof material such as plastic and the liketogether with suitable waterproof adjustable fastenings for holding theinfant in the position desired on the bathing support, the support andadjustable fastenings being relatively easy to clean.

A further object of the present invention lies in a drain lmeans such asan aperture adjacent the lower end of the -body through which water canquickly drain. When removing the support together with the infantstrapped thereto from the bathtub or sink, water is quickly drainedthrough the drain means and olf the surface of the support.

A further feature of the present invention lies in adjustable straps forattaching the support to the forearm of the mother or nurse and forretaining the infant in the sup'- port. The adjustable strap loop whichholds the baby and the strap loop through which the forearm is insertedare in opposed relation with suitable means for holding the straps inadjustment. The strap which holds the upper forearm of the motheragainst the underside of the infant bathing support also holds theinfant in place on the concave support. Suitable paired apertures areprovided in reinforcing plates embedded in the support through which thestraps are led, thereby preventing the straps from slipping when in useand enabling the mother or attendent to easily adjust the length of thestraps to llt her forearm, and to leave the straps in the adjustedposition without the necessity of readjusting the straps for eachbathing operation.

A further feature of the present device lies in the provision ofprojections on the under surface of the support adjacent the end havingthe buttocks support having flat terminal ends. The projections areangled or sloped in relation to the end of the support providingsurfaces on which the infant bathing support may be rested at an angleto the horizontal while attached to the forearm of the attendant, orwhile leaning against the edge of a tub or sink.

A further feature of the present device lies in the use of materialproviding a relatively non-slip surface which is soft in texture such asfoam plastic and the like providing a cushioned support for the infant.

In using the infant bathing support the mother places the baby in thesupport with the buttocks at or near the buttocks support, the limbsbeing free to move, and the head of the infant resting in the concavehead and neck support.

The head and neck support is an elongated concave de pression betweenthe sides of the body support adjacent one end which enables the supportto be used during an extended period of growth of the infant. Thisconstitutes a further feature of the infant bathing support.

The infant is strapped in the support with the adjustable strap placedbeneath the armpits of the infant and eX- tending across the chest ofthe infant, the mother or attendant inserting her forearm into the loopsof the adjusted straps on the underside of the support with the handencircled by a strap loop grasping the bottom of the support. The motherthereby is able to raise or lower the infant in the tub and to turn theinfant and the support during bathing simply by rotating her forearm.The infant may be turned from side to side while secured on the supportbecause of the positioning of the straps which hold the infant to thesupport, and which permit the infant to be turned from side to sideduring the bathing and drying operation.

aisasee ent invention will be more clearly and fully set forth in thefollowing specifications and claims.

In the drawings forming a part of the speciiication;

FIGURE l is a perspective view of the infant bathing support.

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the bottom of the support.

FIGURE 3 is a longitudinal section view of the support, the position ofthe section being indicated by the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2. Y

FIGURE 4 is a cross ,sectional view through the support showing thestrap supporting structure, the position of the section being indicatedby the line 4-4 of FIG- URE 2.

FIGURE 5 is a cross section viewthrough the device along the line 5 5 ofFIGURE 2.

The drawings disclose an infant bathing support lilV made of relativelysoft waterproof material such as plastic, molded rubber, and the likewhich permits the device to be used in water and easily cleaned' usingsoap and Water. Being of relatively soft material, the support cushionsthe infant reclining upon it. The adjustable strap 16 which engages theinfant and the forearm of ,the attendant as well as the strap hand loop19 is 'made fof plastic nylon, or similar materials which are notreadily damaged vby repeated immersion in water. The fastening meanssuch as 17' for holding the strap loops in adjustable engagement aresimilarly composed of waterproof noncorrosive material.

The infant bathing support is best illustrated in the drawing of FEGUREV1 showing the bathing support generally numbered itl, in the form of aconcave support for use in bathing a baby. The bathing support 1li is ofsufficient length to accommodate infants of different sizes until theyhave grown to a size and weight where the use of a bathing support is nolonger practical or advantageous. As a feature in controlling theinfantsrbody and head, the basic structure comprises a generallyrelongated concave upper surface 12 to support the body of the infant,the concave surface 12 being of sutiicient width to enable the device tobe used for the infant who yis large in girth as well as for the verytiny infant. The under surface 15 is generally convex as is clearlyevident in FIGURES and 5. The concave surface 12 of the support 1)provides support forV the body of the infant and Vhelps to retain theinfant in the position in which he is placed on the concave supportsurface 12, the curvature of the support to some extent preventing theinfant from rolling freely to either side when unstrapped, and allowingcontrolled movement when held by -the adjustable strap 16 which will bedescribed later. A

As is apparent from the drawings of FIGURES l, 2, and 3 one end 2li ofthe infant support 10 has a concave intermediate portion 22 adjacent theend along .a longitudinal centerline intermediate the sides of theconcave support surface 12 of suicient length and width to acon theattendants forearm by'adjustable strapsrone ofY ,which encircles theforearm of the attendant, the other encircling the attendants hand` Theforearm of the attendant, together with' the attached support l@ may belifted or lowered, turned or inclined at an angle in relation to the tuband rested on the tub bottom with the under surface ofthe member 26restingon the tub bottom. In preferred construction, the Vbuttockssupporting end wall mem er 26 extends across the end 24 of the concavebody support 12 and merges-smoothly into the sides and concave surfacel2 eliminating undesirable corners. For purposes of clarication, thesurface of the member 26 adjacent the concave surface 12 will be calledan upper' surface. The opposed or under surfaceA 28 generally parallelsthe upper surface. The member 26 slopes at an obtuse angle to thevconcave surface l2. The under suri face 28 of the member 26 is formedof two angularly commodate portions of the head and neck of the infant.

The concave intermediate portion 22 helps control the head and neck of.the infant to prevent undesirable head l jects sufficiently above theconcavesurface 12 to provide a support against which the infantsbuttocks 'may extend or rest, the member 26 extending between and beyondthe sides of the concave body support 12.

When bathing the infant, the support 10 is held in place relatedsurfaces 38 and 32. lither of the surfaces 30 or 32 may be rested upon asurface to hold the support in a rearwardlyl inclined position therebyplacing the infant in a somewhat reclined position enabling theattendant to more easily bathethe infant, and making the bathing eX- 1or while the infant is merely reclining on the support 10 Y withoutbeing strapped in place, the support is generally placed in a horizontalposition on a flat surface such as would be provided by a table, bed,drainboard, .and the like. The support 1li is prevented from rocking toand fro on the generally convex undersurface of the` support 10 byterminal coplanar'surfaces ofspaced base project tions 38 and 4@ and theconvex underside of nach support 42. i Y

vThe base projections 3S and /tl extend in a generally normal directionfrom the underside of the bodyY support l'adjacent the end 2d. In orderto obtain maximum stability when'the infant isreclining withinthejsupport, the projections 38 and di), and the convex undersurface l2of the head Vand neck support 22 have coplanar surfaces on which thesupport it) may rest when on a at surface. The reinforcing ribs 37 whichextend transversely between the ribs 3o may have surfaces extendingbeneath the body support coplanar with the coplanar surfaces oftheprojections 33 and 4G and the undersurface 42 ofthe head support. Y Y

In' the preferred construction, the base projections 38 and lll havegenerally rectangular terminal ilat end surfaces, the sides of theprojections bein'g'flared from the terminal flat end surfaces into theunderside of the concave support l2 and into the surfaces Sii, on theunderside 2S of the buttocks support member 26,.. As will be understoodthe outer coniiguration of thelbase projections 38 and itl andreinforcing ribs 36 rnay be altered without changing Vthe stabilizingfunctionof the projections 38 and d@ `and ribs 3601i the underside 14;ofthe support the head and member 1U, so long as the outermost ends arecoplanar with the terminal convex side 42 of the head and neckv thesupport 2o at least one drain aperture 44 is provided intermediatethesides of the concave surface 12 to permit the water and soap to drainoff-the infant and support 1) r when raising the support 1l) from the.tub or basin.

The strap 1d provides a loop used to fasten the infant in place on theconcave support l2, and loop extending transversely to the longitudinalaxis of the support 1li. In preferred construction the strap may becomposed ofY plastic having a fastening means 17 such Aas a buckle, j

The strap .16 is connected to the support 1t? near the transverse andlongitudinal centers of the support, as will be described.

A reinforcing plate 48 is embedded in the central portion of the support10, two laterally spaced portions of the plate being exposed bylaterally spaced apertures 52 through the plastic body. As is perhapsbest illustrated in FIGURE 4, the plate 48 is provided with threeparallel strap rece-iving slots in each exposed portion of the plate.These apertures are elongated in a direction parallel to thelongitudinal axis of the support body 10. The slots comprise outermostslots 56, intermediate slots 58 and innermost slots 60.

In attaching the strap 16 to the body 18, the tapered strap end Si) isthreaded from the concave or forward side of the support through aninnermost slot 60, forwardly through the adjacent intermediate slot 58and rearwardly through the adjacent outermost slot 56. T he., end of thestrap 16 including the buckle 17 is left long enough to partiallyencircle the body of the infant. Leaving a sufficient length of strap toform the arm loop 54 the belt is then threaded forwardly through theopposite outermost slot 56, rearwardly through the adjacent intermediateslot 58, and forwardly through the adjacent innermost slot 60.

vBy attaching the infant encircling loop 62 lto the support 19 near thetransverse center of the concave surface 12, the body of the infant maybe rolled to either side to the extent necessary to wash the body. Atthe same time, the widely spaced ends of the arm loop S4 stabilize themounting of the support on the arm, and tend to prevent rolling of thesupport relative to the arm.

A second bridging plate 46 is transversely embedded ini the body support1G in proximity to the buttocks end of the support and has ends 47 and49 which project from the underside of the body suppoit at approximatelyright angles to the intermediate portion of the plate 46. The ends 47and 49 have apertures therethrough through which a strap 19 is threaded,the strap having a fastening means 21 at one end to engage the other endthereof. The strap loop 19 is wide enough tto accommodate the palm ofthe hand, the four fingers curving about the undersurface 28 of themember 26. The support is thus stabilized by the palm of the hand andfingers. The thumb is normally extended forwardly and laterally outsideof the loop 19, the end of the thumb usually engaging against one of theprojections 38 or 40 to further stabilize the support. The embeddedportion of the plate 46 (as well as the embedded portions of the plate48) may be provided with apertures 64 therethrough through which theplastic may extendy to prevent the plates from separating from theplastic. Y

In accordance with the patent statutes, I have described the principlesof construction and operation of my improvement in infant bathingsupport, and while I have endeavored to set forth the best embodimentthereof, I desire to have it understood that changes may be made withinythe scope of the following claims without departing from the spirit of-rny invention.

I claim:

1. An infant bathing support having an elongated body portion adapted toaccommodate in a generally reclining position the body of an infant,strap means secured to said body portion intermediate the ends of saidbody portion, said strap means including individually adjustable loopsextending upwardly and downwardly therefrom to adjustably encircle thebody of a baby and the forearm of the attendant, said elongated bodyportion including an aperture therethrough intermediate the endsthereof, reinforcing means secured to said body and bridging saidaperture, said last named means having spaced apertures therein, saidstrap means threaded through said spaced apertures.

2. The structure of claim 1 and in which portions of said strap meansyform loops transversely to the longitudinal axis of said elongated bodyportion above and below said body portion.

3. An infantV bathing support having an elongated concave body portion,a projection at one end extending across said body from the concavesurface thereof, said bathing support being adapted to accommodate aninfant in a generally reclining position, an aperture through said bodysupport intermediate .the sides and ends thereof, means bridging saidaperture having spaced apertures in` the bridging portion thereof, afirst strap means threaded through said spaced apertures, means on saidstrap designed to adjustably connect the ends thereof, said first strapmeans extending upwardly and downwardly through said spaced apertureshaving upper and lower loops transverse to the longitudinal axis of saidbody support, said lower loop being adjustable to encircle the forearmof an attendant, said upper loop being adjustable to encircle the bodyof an infant, a second strap means including a loop extending downwardlyfrom a securing means embedded in said body and having portions thereofextending through the undersurface of said body, said second strap meanshaving means thereon to adjustably connect the ends thereof, said loopbeing adjustableto encircle the hand of an attendant.

4. The structure of claim 3 and in which said body is composed ofrelatively soft material providing a cushioned infant support in whichsaid bridging means and strap securing means may be embedded.

5. The structure of claim 4 and in which portions of said body extendacross said bridging means intermediate the central apertures.

6. The structure of claim 3 and in which said strap securing means hasterminal end portions angularly projecting from the intermediateportions of said strap securing means through the underside of said bodyportion, said terminal end portions having apertures therethrough,through which said second strap means may lbel threaded.

7. A bathing support having an elongated concave body portion adapted tosupport the head and body of an infant during bathing, the body having aseries of six laterally spaced apertures therethrough intermediate theends thereof and equally spaced from the longitudinal center thereof, astrap having an intermediate loop extending downwardly from said bodythe ends of the loop extending upwardly through the outermost pair ofapertures, downwardly through the next adjacent apertures, and upwardlythrough the innermost pair of apertures, the upwardly projecting ends ofthe strap being provided with an adjustable fastener by means of whichthese strap ends may be connected to provide an infant body encirclingloop. p

8. The structure of claim 7 and in which the central portion of saidbody portion includes an embedded reinforcing member through which saidlaterally spaced apertures extend.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

1. AN INFANT BATHING SUPPORT HAVING AN ELONGATED BODY PORTION ADAPTED TOACCOMMODATE IN A GENERALLY RECLINING POSITION THE BODY OF AN INFANT,STRAP MEANS SECURED TO SAID BODY PORTION INTERMEDIATE THE ENDS OF SAIDBODY PORTION, SAID STRAP MEANS INCLUDING INDIVIDUALLY ADJUSTABLE LOOPSEXTENDING UPWARDLY AND DOWNWARDLY THEREFROM TO ADJUSTABLY ENCIRCLE THEBODY OF A BABY AND THE FOREARM OF THE ATTENDANT, SAID ELONGATED BODYPORTION INCLUDING AN APERTURE THERETHROUGH INTERMEDIATE THE ENDSTHEREOF, REINFORCING MEANS SECURED TO SAID BODY AND BRIDGING SAIDAPERTURE, SAID LAST NAMED MEANS HAVING SPACED APERTUERS